Moving image distribution system, moving image distribution method, and moving image distribution program

ABSTRACT

An aspect of the invention relates to a moving image distribution system. The moving image distribution system may include one or more processors. The one or more processors may execute a computer-readable command to register a distribution user that has made a registration request among a plurality of distribution users that distribute moving images including character objects generated based on their own movements, as a first co-starrable user, to select a first co-starring user from among a plurality of first co-starrable users in response to reception of a first co-starring application for co-starring with any of the plurality of first co-starrable users from a co-starring application user, and to distribute a co-starring moving image in which the co-starring application user and the first co-starring user co-star.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2020-184798 filed Nov. 5, 2020, the content of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The invention disclosed in the specification relates to a moving imagedistribution system, a moving image (e.g., video) distribution method,and a moving image distribution program.

Related Art

In the related art, a moving image distribution system is known whichgenerates the animation of a character based on the movement of adistribution user and performs the live distribution of a moving imageincluding the animation of the character. For example, JP 2019-198053 Adiscloses this type of moving image distribution system. In the movingimage distribution system, a user that is viewing a moving image canparticipate in a moving image distributed by another user using his orher own character. That is, in the moving image distribution systemaccording to the related art, the characters of two or more distributionusers can virtually co-star (e.g., collaborate, appear together, co-act)in the moving image. The co-starring function of the moving imagedistribution system is disclosed in, for example, JP 2020-096269 A. Inthe moving image distribution system having the co-starring functionaccording to the related art, a user transmits a request to co-star in amoving image distributed by another user. When the co-starring requestis permitted, a co-starring moving image including the characters of theuser that has made the co-starring request and the user that haspermitted the co-starring request is generated. Then, the co-starringmoving image is distributed to a viewing user.

SUMMARY

In a case in which two or more users co-star in the moving imagedistribution system according to the related art, the user that appliesfor co-starring needs to select a moving image which is a participationdestination from a large number of moving images being distributed or tosearch for a co-starring partner from a large number of distributionusers. In addition, there is concern that, even when a moving image or aco-starring partner is specified and a co-starring application is made,the co-starring application will not be permitted and co-starring willnot be realized, or it will take a long time until the co-starringapplication is permitted.

As described above, a technical improvement for promoting the use of theco-starring function is required in the moving image distribution systemaccording to the related art in which the users that distribute movingimages including the character objects generated based on their ownmovements can co-star.

An object of the invention is to provide a technical improvement thatsolves or reduces at least some of the above-mentioned problems of therelated art. One of the more specific objects of the invention is toprovide a technical improvement for promoting co-starring of users thatdistribute moving images including character objects generated based ontheir own movements. The other objects of the invention will becomeapparent by reference to the entire specification.

An aspect of the invention relates to a moving image distributionsystem. In an aspect of the invention, the moving image distributionsystem includes one or more processors. In an aspect of the invention,the one or more processors execute a computer-readable command toregister a distribution user that has made a registration request amonga plurality of distribution users, that distribute moving imagesincluding character objects generated based on their own movements, as afirst co-starrable user, to select a first co-starring user from among aplurality of first co-starrable users in response to reception of afirst co-starring application for co-starring with any of the pluralityof first co-starrable users from a co-starring application user, and todistribute a co-starring moving image in which the co-starringapplication user and the first co-starring user co-star.

In an aspect of the invention, the co-starring moving image isdistributed without getting permission of the first co-starring userafter the first co-starring application is received.

In an aspect of the invention, the first co-starring application isreceived both while the co-starring application user is viewing themoving image of the first co-starring user and while the co-starringapplication user is not viewing the moving image of the firstco-starring user.

In an aspect of the invention, an upper limit of the number of usersable to co-star is set for each of the plurality of distribution users.

In the moving image distribution system according to an aspect of theinvention, the number of co-starrable users represented by a differencebetween the upper limit and the number of users that are co-starring ismanaged for each of the plurality of distribution users, and the firstco-starring user is selected based on the number of users able toco-star for each of the plurality of distribution users.

In an aspect of the invention, attribute information indicating anattribute of each of the plurality of distribution users is set for eachof the plurality of distribution users, and the first co-starring useris selected based on at least the attribute information about the firstco-starrable user.

In the moving image distribution system according to an aspect of theinvention, determination is made whether or not the co-starringapplication user and a second co-starring user selected from among theplurality of distribution users are able to co-star in response toreception of a second co-starring application for co-starring with thesecond co-starring user. In a case in which it is determined that theco-starring application user and the second co-starring user are able toco-star, another co-starring moving image in which the co-starringapplication user and the second co-starring user co-star is generated.

In an aspect of the invention, the second co-starring application isreceived only while the co-starring application user is viewing themoving image of the second co-starring user.

In an aspect of the invention, the second co-starring user is selectedfrom one or more second co-starrable users that receive the secondco-starring application among the plurality of distribution users. Inthe moving image distribution system according to an aspect of theinvention, a co-starring list including at least one of at least some ofone or more first co-starrable users and at least some of the secondco-starrable users that receive the co-starring application among theplurality of distribution users is provided to the co-starringapplication user.

In the moving image distribution system according to an aspect of theinvention, a list including at least some of the plurality ofdistribution users is displayed. In the list, each of the one or morefirst co-starrable users is displayed so as to be distinguishable fromthe distribution user that is not the first co-starrable user among theplurality of distribution users.

In the moving image distribution system according to an aspect of theinvention, a user that has started a game in which at least some of theplurality of distribution users participate is registered as the firstco-starrable user.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a moving image distributionmethod performed by execution of one or computer-readable commands byone or more computer processors. The moving image distribution methodaccording to an aspect of the invention includes: a step of registeringa distribution user that has made a registration request among aplurality of distribution users, that distribute moving images includingcharacter objects generated based on their own movements, as a firstco-starrable user; a step of selecting a first co-starring user from thefirst co-starrable users in response to reception of a first co-starringapplication for co-starring with any of the first co-starrable usersfrom a co-starring application user; and a step of generating aco-starring moving image in which the co-starring application user andthe first co-starring user co-star.

Still another aspect of the invention relates to a moving imagedistribution program. The moving image distribution program according toan aspect of the invention causes one or more computer processors toperform: a step of registering a distribution user that has made aregistration request among a plurality of distribution users, thatdistribute moving images including character objects generated based ontheir own movements, as a first co-starrable user; a step of selecting afirst co-starring user from the first co-starrable users in response toreception of a first co-starring application for co-starring with any ofthe first co-starrable users from a co-starring application user; and astep of generating a co-starring moving image in which the co-starringapplication user and the first co-starring user co-star.

According to an embodiment of the invention, it is possible to promoteco-starring of users that distribute moving images including characterobjects generated based on their own movements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a moving image distributionsystem according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a distribution user thatdistributes a moving image distributed by the moving image distributionsystem illustrated in FIG. 1 and a distribution user device used by thedistribution user;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating user information stored in the movingimage distribution system illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating co-starring moving image informationstored in the moving image distribution system illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screendisplayed on a distribution user device 20 a in one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screendisplayed on a viewing user device 10 in one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a moving image displayedon the distribution user device 20 a in one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a moving image displayedon a distribution user device 20 b in one embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a co-starring movingimage displayed on the viewing user device 10 in one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a co-starring movingimage displayed on a distribution user device 20 c of a co-starringapplication user in one embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a co-starring movingimage displayed on the distribution user device 20 a in one embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a co-starring movingimage displayed on the distribution user device 20 b in one embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a process ofdistributing the co-starring moving image based on a first co-starringapplication in one embodiment; and

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a process ofdistributing the co-starring moving image based on a second co-starringapplication in one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the invention will be described withreference to the drawings. In a plurality of drawings, the same orsimilar components may be denoted by the same reference numerals. Asused herein, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “or”encompasses all possible combinations, except where infeasible. Forexample, if it is stated that a component includes A or B, then, unlessspecifically stated otherwise or infeasible, the component may includeA, or B, or A and B. As another example, if it is stated that acomponent includes A, B, or C, then unless specifically stated otherwiseor infeasible, the component may include A, or B, or C, or A and B, or Aand C, or B and C, or A and B and C. Expressions such as “at least oneof” do not necessarily modify the entirety of a following list and donot necessarily modify each member of the list, such that “at least oneof A, B, and C” should be understood as including only one of A, onlyone of B, only one of C, or any combination of A, B, and C. The phrase“one of A and B” or “any one of A and B” shall be interpreted in thebroadest sense to include one of A or one of B.

A moving image distribution system according to an embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. First, the outline of a movingimage distribution system 1 according to an embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustratingthe moving image distribution system 1 according to the embodiment, andFIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating users Ua and Ub thatdistribute moving images and distribution user devices 20 a and 20 bwhich are used by the users Ua and Ub, respectively, in the moving imagedistribution system 1. The distribution user device 20 a has a functionof distributing a moving image including a character object generatedbased on the movement of the user Ua in the moving image distributionsystem 1, and the distribution user device 20 b has a function ofdistributing a moving image including a character object generated basedon the movement of the user Ub in the moving image distribution system1. For simplicity of explanation, FIG. 2 illustrates only two users(users Ua and Ub) and the distribution user devices 20 a and 20 b usedby the two users. However, in the moving image distribution system 1,three or more users may distribute moving images including characterobjects generated based on the movement of each user using eachdistribution user device. FIG. 1 illustrates a distribution user device20 c of a distribution user Uc in addition to the distribution userdevices 20 a and 20 b. Since the distribution user device 20 c has thesame functions as the distribution user devices 20 a and 20 b, thedetailed description thereof will not be repeated. In the specification,in a case in which a “distribution user device” is simply referred towithout a reference numeral, the “distribution user device” can have thesame functions as the distribution user devices 20 a and 20 b.

The moving image distribution system 1 can generate a co-starring movingimage including the character objects of two or more distribution users,which will be described in detail below. In other words, in the movingimage distribution system 1, two or more users can virtually co-star inthe moving image through their character objects. As described above, ina case in which two or more users virtually co-star in the moving imagethrough their character objects, the moving image is referred to as aco-starring moving image. In the moving image distribution system 1,each user that distributes a moving image can apply for co-starring withother users. For example, the user Ua can apply for co-starring with theuser Ub or other users. On the contrary, the user Ub can also apply forco-starring with the user Ua or other users. A co-starring moving imageincluding the character object of the user that has applied forco-starring and the character object of the user that has received theco-starring application is generated based on the co-starringapplication.

In a case in which a user applies for co-starring with another user andtwo or more users co-star in a moving image, the user that applies forco-starring may be referred to as a “guest user”. In addition, the userthat originally distributes the moving image and receives theapplication for co-starring in the moving image may be referred to as a“host user”. The concept of the host user and the guest user isrelative. For example, in a case in which the user Ub applies forco-starring with the user Ua, the user Ua is the host user, and the userUb is the guest user. On the contrary, in a case in which the user Uaapplies for co-starring with the user Ub, the user Ua is the guest user,and the user Ub is the host user.

Both the user Ua and the user Ub may be distribution users thatdistribute moving images including character objects generated based ontheir own movements and are also viewing users that view the movingimages of other distribution users. Therefore, the distribution userdevices 20 a and 20 b may have a function of viewing the moving imagesdistributed by the moving image distribution system 1.

It is assumed that the moving image distribution system 1 is used by alarge number of users. The users of the moving image distribution system1 include a distribution user that distributes a moving image and aviewing user that views the distributed moving image. The users of themoving image distribution system 1 are divided into the distributionusers and the viewing users according to the usage aspect of the movingimage distribution system 1. However, one user may be the distributionuser or the viewing user according to the usage aspect of the movingimage distribution system 1. For example, the distribution user thatdistributes the moving image using the moving image distribution system1 can view the moving image distributed by another distribution userusing the moving image distribution system 1. Therefore, the user is thedistribution user when distributing the moving image and is the viewinguser when viewing the moving image.

In the moving image distribution system 1, it is assumed that a largenumber of distribution users distribute moving images. Therefore, forexample, it is not easy for the distribution users Ua, Ub, and Uc tosearch for a co-starring partner from a large number of distributionusers. For this reason, the moving image distribution system 1 accordingto an embodiment of the invention has a function of supporting theselection of the co-starring partner by the distribution users Ua, Ub,and Uc (and other distribution users). Specifically, the moving imagedistribution system 1 can have a function of receiving a co-starringapplication of a co-starring partner non-designation type (hereinafter,referred to as a “first co-starring application”), which does notspecify or designate a co-starring partner, from the distribution userthat desires to co-star with other users and selecting a user thatbecomes a co-starring partner co-starring with the co-starringapplication user that has made the first co-starring application basedon the first co-starring application. In the specification, in somecases, the distribution user selected as the partner that co-stars withthe co-starring application user based on the first co-starringapplication is referred to as a “first co-starring user”. The firstco-starring user is selected from the distribution users (hereinafter,referred to as “first co-starrable users”) that are permitted to co-starwith the co-starring application user based on the first co-starringapplication among a plurality of distribution users that distributemoving images using the moving image distribution system 1. As describedabove, the moving image distribution system 1 achieves co-starring ofthe co-starring application user that has made the first co-starringapplication and other users based on the first co-starring applicationthat does not specify the co-starring partner, which makes it possibleto achieve co-starring with other users without specifying ordesignating the co-starring partner. Therefore, the co-starring of thedistribution users is activated.

When receiving a co-starring application (hereinafter, referred to as a“second co-starring application”) that designates a co-starring partnerfrom the co-starring application user, the moving image distributionsystem 1 may determine whether or not the co-starring application userand the user (hereinafter, referred to as a “second co-starring user”)designated in the second co-starring application can co-star, and mayachieve the co-starring of the co-starring application user and thesecond co-starring user in a case in which it is determined that theusers can co-star. The second co-starring user is designated by theco-starring application user from the users (hereinafter, referred to as“second co-starrable users”) that receive the second co-starringapplication from other distribution users among a plurality ofdistribution users that distribute moving images using the moving imagedistribution system 1. Therefore, the moving image distribution system 1can achieve co-starring of the users based on the second co-starringapplication that designates a co-starring partner. The secondco-starrable user may overlap the first co-starrable user. That is, acertain distribution user may be the first co-starrable user and thesecond co-starrable user.

All of the co-starring application user, the first co-starrable user,the second co-starrable user, the first co-starring user, and the secondco-starring user are included in the distribution users that distributethe moving images including the character objects generated based ontheir own movements in the moving image distribution system 1.

Next, the architecture of the moving image distribution system 1 and theoutline of the devices constituting the moving image distribution system1 will be described, and then the functions of each device will bedescribed. In the description of the functions of each of the devices, afunction or process for co-starring with the first co-starring user andthe second co-starring user will be described in detail.

The moving image distribution system 1 includes a viewing user device10, the distribution user devices 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c, a server 60, anda storage 70. The viewing user device 10, the distribution user devices20 a, 20 b, and 20 c, the server 60, and the storage 70 are connected toeach other through a network 50 such that they can communicate with eachother. The server 60 is configured to distribute moving images includingthe animations of the character objects of the distribution users Ua,Ub, and Uc and other distribution users, which will be described below.The server 60 may be configured to distribute moving images other thanthe moving images including the animations of the character objects. Inaddition to the moving image distribution service, the server 60 mayprovide a social networking service for users to interact with eachother or a platform function for the social networking service.

In the moving image distribution system 1, the moving images aredistributed from the server 60 to the viewing user device 10 and thedistribution user devices 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c. The distributed movingimage is displayed on a display of the viewing user device 10. Theviewing user that is the user of the viewing user device 10 can view thedistributed moving image using the viewing user device 10. Thedistribution users Ua, Ub, and Uc can view the distributed moving imageand give a performance while checking the moving image that is beingdistributed. Only one viewing user device 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1for simplicity of explanation. However, the moving image distributionsystem 1 may include a plurality of viewing user devices. In addition,only three distribution user devices are illustrated in FIG. 1. However,as described above, the moving image distribution system 1 may includefour or more distribution user devices. Further, as described above, thedistribution users Ua, Ub, and Uc are also the viewing users. Therefore,in a case in which the users do not distribute their own moving images,the users can view the moving images distributed by other distributionusers using the distribution user devices 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the distribution userdevice 20 a includes a computer processor 21 a, a communication I/F 22a, a display 23 a, a camera 24 a, a microphone 25 a, and a storage 26 a.Similarly, the distribution user device 20 b includes a computerprocessor 21 b, a communication I/F 22 b, a display 23 b, a camera 24 b,a microphone 25 b, and a storage 26 b. Since the distribution userdevice 20 a and the distribution user device 20 b have the sameconfiguration and functions, the distribution user device 20 c, which isnot illustrated, has the same configuration as the distribution userdevices 20 a and 20 b. In a case in which the distribution user devices20 a, 20 b, and 20 c do not need to be distinguished from each other,the distribution user devices 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c may be collectivelyreferred to as distribution user devices 20. In this case, componentsthereof may be described without branch numbers “a” and “b” likecomputer processors 21. That is, the description of the computerprocessor 21 applies to both the computer processors 21 a and 21 b aslong as there is no contradiction.

The computer processor 21 is an arithmetic unit that loads an operatingsystem or various programs which implement various functions from astorage to a memory and executes commands included in the loadedprograms. The computer processor 21 can execute commands included in amoving image application program. The computer processor 21 is, forexample, a CPU, an MPU, a DSP, a GPU, various arithmetic devices otherthan those, or a combination thereof. The computer processor 21 may beimplemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, a PLD, an FPGA, oran MCU. The computer processor 21 is illustrated as a single componentin FIG. 1. However, the computer processor 21 may be a set of aplurality of physically separate computer processors.

The communication I/F 22 is implemented as hardware, firmware,communication software, such as a TCP/IP driver or a PPP driver, or acombination thereof. The distribution user device 20 can transmit andreceive data to and from other devices through the communication I/F 22.

The display 23 has, for example, a display panel and a touch panel. Thetouch panel is configured to detect a touch operation (contactoperation) of a player. The touch panel can detect various touchoperations of the player, such as tapping, double tapping, and dragging.The touch panel may include a capacitive proximity sensor and may beconfigured to detect a non-contact operation of the player.

The camera 24 continuously images the face of the distribution user Uaor Ub to acquire image data of the face of the distribution user Ua orUb. The image data of the face of the distribution user Ua or Ubcaptured by the camera 24 is transmitted to the server 60 through thecommunication I/F 22. The camera 24 may be a 3D camera that can detectthe depth of the face of the distribution user. The camera 24 may imageparts other than the face of the distribution user Ua or Ub, such as ahand, a leg, fingers of the hand, or parts other than those, to acquireimaging data.

The microphone 25 is a sound collection device that is configured toconvert input voice into voice data. The microphone 25 is configured toacquire the voice input from the distribution user Ua or Ub. The voiceinput from the distribution user Ua or Ub acquired by the microphone 25is converted into voice data, and the voice data is transmitted to theserver 60 through the communication I/F 22.

The storage 26 is a storage device that is accessed by the computerprocessor 21. The storage 26 is, for example, a magnetic disk, anoptical disk, a semiconductor memory, or various storage devices capableof storing data other than those. Various programs can be stored in thestorage 26. At least some of the programs and various kinds of data thatcan be stored in the storage 26 may be stored in a storage (for example,the storage 70) that is physically separate from the distribution userdevice 20.

The storage 26 a may store model data 26 a 1 and object data 26 a 2. Thestorage 26 b may store model data 26 b 1 and object data 26 b 2. Themodel data 26 a 1 and the model data 26 b 1 are model data forgenerating the character (avatar) objects of the distribution users Uaand Ub, respectively. Each of the model data 26 a 1 and the model data26 b 1 includes, for example, rig data (referred to as “skeleton data”in some cases) indicating the skeleton of the face of the character andparts other than the face and surface data indicating the shape andtexture of the surface of the character. In some cases, the surface datais referred to as skin data. The model data 26 a 1 may be acquired fromthe server 60 in response to the start of the moving image applicationprogram in the distribution user device 20 a. The model data 26 b 1 maybe acquired from the server 60 in response to the start of the movingimage application program in the distribution user device 20 b.

Each of the object data 26 a 2 and the object data 26 b 2 includes assetdata for constructing a virtual space. Each of the object data 26 a 2and the object data 26 b 2 includes data for drawing the background of avirtual space constituting the moving image, data for drawing variousobjects displayed in the moving image, and data for drawing variousobjects displayed in other moving images. Each of the object data 26 a 2and the object data 26 b 2 may include object position informationindicating the position of the object in the virtual space.

The viewing user device 10 may include the same components as thedistribution user device 20. For example, the viewing user device 10 mayinclude a computer processor, a communication I/F, a display, and acamera. The viewing user device 10 may have the same function as thedistribution user device 20 by downloading and installing the movingimage application program.

The viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 areinformation processing devices such as smart phones. The viewing userdevice 10 and the distribution user device 20 may be mobile phones,tablet terminals, personal computers, electronic book readers, wearablecomputers, game consoles, and various information processing devicescapable of playing back moving images other than those, in addition tothe smart phones. Each of the viewing user device 10 and thedistribution user device 20 may include a sensor unit that includesvarious sensors, such as gyro sensors, and a storage that stores variouskinds of information in addition to the above-mentioned components.

Next, the server 60 will be described. In the embodiment illustrated inthe drawings, the server 60 includes a computer processor 61, acommunication I/F 62, and a storage 63.

The computer processor 61 is an arithmetic unit that loads the operatingsystem or various programs which implement various functions from thestorage 63 or other storages to a memory and executes commands includedin the loaded programs. The computer processor 61 can execute commandsincluded in a distribution program. The computer processor 61 is, forexample, a CPU, an MPU, a DSP, a GPU, various arithmetic devices otherthan those, or a combination thereof. The computer processor 61 may beimplemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, a PLD, an FPGA, oran MCU. The computer processor 61 is illustrated as a single componentin FIG. 1. However, the computer processor 61 may be a set of aplurality of physically separate computer processors.

The communication I/F 62 is implemented as hardware, firmware,communication software, such as a TCP/IP driver or a PPP driver, or acombination thereof. The server 60 can transmit and receive data to andfrom other devices through the communication I/F 62.

The storage 63 is a storage device that is accessed by the computerprocessor 61. The storage 63 is, for example, a magnetic disk, anoptical disk, a semiconductor memory, or various storage devices capableof storing data other than those. Various programs can be stored in thestorage 63. At least some of the programs and various kinds of data thatcan be stored in the storage 63 may be stored in a storage (for example,the storage 70) that is physically separate from the server 60.

In the specification, each of the programs executed by the computerprocessor 21 or the computer processor 61 or the commands included inthe programs may be executed by a single computer processor or may bedispersedly executed by a plurality of computer processors. In addition,each of the programs executed by the computer processor 21 or thecomputer processor 61 or the commands included in the programs may beexecuted by a plurality of virtual computer processors.

Next, the data stored in the storage 63 will be described. In theembodiment illustrated in the drawings, model data 63 a, userinformation 63 b, co-starring management information 63 c, and variouskinds of data required to generate and distribute distribution movingimages other than the above are stored in the storage 63.

The model data 63 a is data for drawing the character object associatedwith each user in the moving image distribution system 1 and istransmitted to the distribution user device in response to a requestfrom the distribution user device. The model data 26 a 1 and the modeldata 26 b 1 stored in the distribution user device 20 a are a portion ofthe model data 63 a and are data for drawing the character objectsassociated with the distribution users Ua and Ub, respectively. Thedistribution user devices 20 a and 20 b can acquire the model data 26 a1 or the model data 26 b 1 corresponding to their own characters fromthe server 60.

An example of the user information 63 b is illustrated in FIG. 3. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, various kinds of data related to the user thatuses the moving image distribution system 1 are stored as the userinformation 63 b in association with account information on the user. Inthe example illustrated in FIG. 3, a registration flag, a co-starringreception flag, and user attribute information are stored in associationwith the account information on the user. The user information 63 b mayinclude information other than the above.

The account information on the user is, for example, user identificationinformation (user ID) for identifying the user. The user ID may beassigned to the user when the user registers the use of the servicefirst in the moving image distribution system 1.

As described above, the moving image distribution system 1 has afunction of selecting the first co-starring user that co-stars with theco-starring application user among the first co-starrable users inresponse to the reception of the first co-starring application that doesnot designate the co-starring partner from the co-starring applicationuser and generating a co-starring moving image in which the co-starringapplication user and the first co-starring user co-star. Theregistration flag associated with the account information on the userindicates whether or not the user is registered as the firstco-starrable user. For example, in a case in which the user is notregistered as the first co-starrable user, “0” may be set as theregistration flag. In a case in which the user is registered as thefirst co-starrable user, “1” may be set as the registration flag. A userthat wants to increase a chance of co-starring with other users cantransmit a registration request for registration as the firstco-starrable user from his or her own distribution user device to theserver 60. On the contrary, a user that does not want to co-star withother users based on the first co-starring application can transmit anexclusion request for exclusion from the first co-starrable users fromhis or her own distribution user device to the server 60.

As described above, the distribution user that distributes a movingimage using the moving image distribution system 1 can co-star with theco-starring application user based on the second co-starring applicationfrom the co-starring application user. The co-starring application usercan make the second co-starring application to the second co-starrableuser. The moving image distribution system 1 can set whether or not toreceive co-starring by the second co-starring application from anotheruser, that is, whether or not the user corresponds to the secondco-starrable user for each user. The user information 63 b may include aco-starring reception flag indicating whether or not the user isregistered as the second co-starrable user. A user that does not want toreceive the second co-starring application from other users can set theco-starring reception flag so as not to receive the second co-starringapplication from other users. The co-starring reception flag associatedwith the account information on the user indicates whether or not theuser is registered as the second co-starrable user, that is, whether ornot the user receives the second co-starring application from otherusers. For example, in a case in which a certain user does not want toreceive the second co-starring application from other users, “0” may beset as the co-starring reception flag. In a case in which the user wantsto receive the second co-starring application, “1” may be set as theco-starring reception flag. The user can operate a switching button on asetting screen to switch the co-starring reception flag.

The user attribute information associated with the account informationon the user can include various kinds of attribute information about theuser. For example, the user attribute information about a certain usermay include various kinds of information indicating the age, sex,address, hobby, occupation, and other attributes of the user. The firstco-starring user may be selected from the first co-starrable users basedon the user attribute information about the co-starring application userand the first co-starrable user, as will be described below. In the userinformation, various kinds of information other than the above can bestored in association with the account information on the user. Themoving image distribution system 1 may provide a function of groupingusers. In this case, in the user information, group identificationinformation for identifying the group, to which the user belongs, may bestored in association with the account information on the user.

Next, the co-starring management information 63 c will be described withreference to FIG. 4. An example of the co-starring managementinformation 63 c is illustrated in FIG. 4. As illustrated in FIG. 4, asthe co-starring management information 63 c, various kinds ofinformation for managing the co-starring of the distribution user andother distribution users are stored in association with distributionmoving image identification information for identifying the moving imagedistributed by the distribution user. The co-starring managementinformation 63 c for a certain distribution moving image may includedistribution user identification information for identifying thedistribution user that distributes the distribution moving image,co-star number data indicating the number of co-stars that areco-starring in the distribution moving image, and co-starring useridentification information for identifying the co-starring user.

The distribution moving image identification information for a certaindistribution moving image is, for example, a moving image ID foridentifying the distribution moving image. The moving image ID may beissued in order to identify the distribution moving image when the userstarts to distribute the moving image. The distribution useridentification information for a certain distribution moving image maybe the user ID of the user that distributes the moving image. Theco-starring user identification information for a certain distributionmoving image may be the user ID of the co-starring user that co-starswith the distribution user in the moving image. In a case in which themoving image identified by the moving image ID is a co-starring movingimage, the distribution user identification information is the user IDof the host user, and the co-starring user identification information isthe user ID of the guest user.

The co-star number data for a certain distribution moving imageindicates the number of co-starring users that co-star with thedistribution user in the distribution moving image. In the distributionmoving image, the upper limit of the number of co-starring users thatcan co-star with the distribution user in the distribution moving imagemay be set. The co-star number data is a natural number that is equal toor less than the upper limit of the number of co-starring users. Theupper limit of the number of co-starring users is, for example, five.The upper limit of the number of co-starring users may not be five andmay be appropriately changed. The upper limit of the number ofco-starring users may be set individually for each distribution user.For example, in a case in which the upper limit of the number ofco-starring users for a certain distribution user is five, the upperlimit of the number of co-starring users for another distribution usermay be three. The upper limit of the number of co-starring users may beset uniformly for all of the distribution users. The co-star number datais represented by a number that is equal to or less than the upper limitof the number of co-starring users.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a screen displayed on the distributionuser device. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the screen displayed onthe distribution user device 20 a. A screen that is the same as orsimilar to the screen illustrated in FIG. 5 may be displayed on thedistribution user devices other than the distribution user device 20 aincluded in the moving image distribution system 1. As illustrated inFIG. 5, a menu bar MB is disposed in an upper portion of the screendisplayed on the distribution user device 20 a. The menu bar MB includesitems of “Recommended”, “Waiting for co-starring” and “Game”. The menubar MB may include items other than those.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, it is assumed that “Recommended”is selected in the menu bar MB. The distribution user Ua can flick thedisplay 23 a of the distribution user device 20 a in the left-rightdirection to switch the screen to any of the items included in the menubar MB. For example, when a screen corresponding to “Recommended” isdisplayed, the distribution user Ua can flick the display 23 a to theleft to perform switching to the screen corresponding to the item of“Game” or “Waiting for co-starring”.

The screen illustrated in FIG. 5 is displayed, for example, after themoving image application program is started in the distribution userdevice 20 a. When the moving image application program is started in thedistribution user device 20 a, a list of the moving images that arebeing distributed or the distribution users that are distributing themoving images is acquired from the server 60. After the moving imageapplication program is started, the screen corresponding to“Recommended” in the menu bar MB is displayed. As illustrated in FIG. 5,the screen corresponding to the “Recommended” includes an iconindicating the moving image that is being distributed (or an iconindicating the character object of the distribution user that isdistributing the imaging image). For example, an icon indicating apopular moving image, an icon indicating a moving image that attractsattention, or an icon indicating a moving image recommended for viewingfor other reasons is displayed on the screen corresponding to“Recommended”. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, icons 42 a to 42 dcorresponding to the moving images that are being distributed aredisplayed. In addition, two icons are hidden behind a setting window 41.

A message 44 a indicating that the distribution user that distributesthe moving image receives the second co-starring application from otherusers (that is, the distribution user is the second co-starrable user)may be displayed in association with the icon indicating the movingimage that is being distributed. The message 44 a includes a text“Co-starring is being received”. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5,since the distribution users of the moving images corresponding to theicons 42 a, 42 c, and 42 d receive the second co-starring applicationfrom other users, the message 44 a is displayed so as to be associatedwith each of the icons 42 a, 42 c, and 42 d (for example, so as tooverlap each icon). Since the distribution user of the moving imagecorresponding to the icon 42 b does not receive the second co-starringapplication from other users, the message 44 a is not displayed inassociation with the icon 42 b. In addition, in a case in which thedistribution user is the first co-starrable user, co-starring frameinformation 44 b indicating a co-starring frame represented by adifference between the upper limit on the number of co-stars and thenumber of users that are co-starring with the distribution user may bedisplayed in association with the icon of the distribution user. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the distribution userscorresponding to the icons 42 a and 42 d are the first co-starrableusers. The co-starring frame information 44 b indicating that theco-starring frames are “2” for the distribution user corresponding tothe icon 42 a is displayed in association with the icon 42 a. Inaddition, the co-starring frame information 44 b indicating that theco-starring frames are “3” for the distribution user corresponding tothe icon 42 d is displayed in association with the icon 42 d. In thelist of the moving images being distributed which is displayed on thedistribution user device in this way, whether each of the distributionusers of the moving images included in the list is the firstco-starrable user or the second co-starrable user is distinctivelydisplayed.

The screen displayed on the distribution user device 20 a includes asetting button 43. When this setting button 43 is selected, the settingwindow 41 is displayed as illustrated in FIG. 5. In some embodiments,settings may be adjusted not only before distribution, but may also beadjusted during distribution by means of setting button 43. The settingwindow 41 includes switches 41 a, 41 b, and 41 c. Each of the switches41 a, 41 b, and 41 c is turned on or off by the operation of the user(for example, a slide operation in the left-right direction). The switch41 a is a switch for turning on and off the registration flag. Forexample, in a case in which the switch 41 a is turned on, when theswitch 41 a is turned on in the distribution user device 20 a, a request(hereinafter, referred to as a “registration request”) to switch theregistration flag such that the distribution user Ua is the firstco-starrable user is transmitted from the distribution user device 20 ato the server 60. Then, in the server 60, the registration flagassociated with the user ID of the distribution user Ua in the userinformation 63 b is switched from “0” to “1”. On the contrary, when theswitch 41 a is turned off, the registration flag in the user information63 b on the distribution user Ua is switched from “1” to “0”.

Further, in a case in which the switch 41 b is turned on, a request toswitch the co-starring reception flag such that the distribution user Uais the second co-starrable user is transmitted from the distributionuser device 20 a to the server 60. Then, in the server 60, theco-starring reception flag associated with the user ID of thedistribution user Ua in the user information 63 b is switched from “0”to “1”. On the contrary, when the switch 41 b is turned off, theco-starring reception flag in the user information 63 b is switched from“1” to “0”.

The switch 41 c is a switch for transmitting the first co-starringapplication. The switch 41 c is turned on to transmit the firstco-starring application from the distribution user device 20 a to theserver 60.

Only the icon of the moving image, in which the distribution user isregistered as the first co-starrable user, among all of the movingimages that are being distributed in the list acquired from the server60 may be displayed on the screen corresponding to “Waiting forco-starring” in the menu bar MB. In addition, only the icon of themoving image, in which the distribution user is registered as the secondco-starrable user, among all of the moving images that are beingdistributed in the list acquired from the server 60 may be displayed onthe screen corresponding to “Waiting for co-starring”. Only the icon ofthe moving image, in which the distribution user is registered as eitherthe first co-starrable user or the second co-starrable user, among allof the moving images that are being distributed in the list acquiredfrom the server 60 may be displayed on the screen corresponding to“Waiting for co-starring”. Therefore, the distribution user Ua operatesthe screen to display the screen corresponding to the item of “Waitingfor co-starring”, which makes it possible to efficiently search for thedistribution user that is the co-starring partner.

On the screen corresponding to “Game” in the menu bar MB, a list ofgames (not illustrated) provided by the moving image distribution system1 in which the character object of the distribution user Ua canparticipate is displayed. The games provided by the moving imagedistribution system 1 include a party game in which a plurality ofpersons participate, such as a so-called “werewolf game”. The movingimage distribution system 1 can provide a virtual party game in whicheach distribution user participates using the character object. In areal-world party game, a real person participates as a player. However,in the virtual party game provided by the moving image distributionsystem 1, the users of the moving image distribution system 1participate using the character objects. The rules of the virtual partygame may be the same as the rules of the real-world party game. Thedistribution user Ua can select a desired party game from the screencorresponding to “Game” and play the selected party game as a gamemaster. When starting the party game, the distribution user Ua caninvite other participants to the game. In a case in which thedistribution user Ua starts the party game in which his or her characterobject participates from the screen corresponding to “Game”, aregistration request to set the distribution user Ua as the firstco-starrable user may be transmitted from the distribution user device20 a to the server 60. In this case, the distribution user that hasstarted the party game is registered as the first co-starrable user.Games other than the party game may be provided on the screencorresponding to “Game”.

The moving image distribution system 1 may has a function ofdistributing the play moving image of the game played by the user whenthe user plays the game. The distributed game is, for example, a webgame. A list of the play moving images distributed by the distributionuser Ua may be displayed on the screen corresponding to “Game” in themenu bar MB. A character object 31 of the distribution user Ub or theicon of the distribution user Ub may be displayed on the play movingimage of the game distributed by the distribution user Ub in the movingimage distribution system 1.

Next, the functions implemented by the computer processors 21 a and 21 bwill be described in detail. The computer processor 21 a executescomputer-readable commands included in the moving image applicationprogram to function as a motion data management unit 21 a 1, a displaycontrol unit 21 a 2, and a co-starring application unit 21 a 3.Similarly, the computer processor 21 b executes computer-readablecommands included in the distribution program to function as a motiondata management unit 21 b 1, a display control unit 21 b 2, and aco-starring application unit 21 b 3. At least some of the functionsimplemented by the computer processors 21 a and 21 b may be implementedby computer processors other than the computer processors 21 a and 21 bof the moving image distribution system 1. At least some of thefunctions implemented by the computer processors 21 a and 21 b may beimplemented by, for example, the computer processor 61 provided in theserver 60.

The motion data management unit 21 a 1 generates face motion data whichis the digital representation of the movement of the face of thedistribution user Ua based on the image data of the camera 24 a.Similarly, the motion data management unit 21 b 1 generates face motiondata which is the digital representation of the movement of the face ofthe distribution user Ub based on the image data of the camera 24 b. Theface motion data is generated at any time with the passage of time. Theface motion data may be generated at predetermined sampling timeintervals. As described above, the face motion data generated by themotion data management unit 21 a 1 can digitally represent the movementof the face (a change in facial expressions) of the distribution user Uain time series, and the face motion data generated by the motion datamanagement unit 21 b 1 can digitally represent the movement of the face(a change in facial expressions) of the distribution user Ub in timeseries.

The distribution user device 20 may generate body motion data which isthe digital representation of the position and direction of each partother than the face in the bodies of the distribution users Ua and Ub,in addition to the face motion data generated by the motion datamanagement unit 21 a 1. The distribution user device 20 may transmit thebody motion data to the server 60 in addition to the face motion data.The distribution users Ua and Ub may be equipped with motion sensors inorder to generate the body motion data. The distribution user device 20may be configured to generate the body motion data based on detectioninformation from the motion sensors attached to the distribution user Uaor Ub. The body motion data may be generated at predetermined samplingtime intervals. As described above, the body motion data represents themovement of the body of the distribution user Ua or Ub as digital datain time series. The generation of the body motion data based on thedetection information from the motion sensors attached to thedistribution user Ua or Ub may be performed in, for example, aphotographing studio. The imaging studio may be provided with a basestation, a tracking sensor, and a display. The base station may be amulti-axis laser emitter. The motion sensor attached to the distributionuser Ua or Ub may be, for example, Vive Tracker provided by HTCCORPORATION. The base station provided in the imaging studio may be, forexample, a base station provided by HTC CORPORATION. In addition, asupporter computer may be installed in a room separate from the imagingstudio. The display in the imaging studio may be configured to displayinformation received from the supporter computer. The server 60 may beinstalled in the same room as the supporter computer. The room in whichthe supporter computer is installed and the imaging studio may beseparated by a glass window. In this case, an operator of the supportercomputer (in some cases, referred to as a “supporter” in thespecification) can visually recognize the distribution users Ua and Ub.The supporter computer may be configured such that it is operated by thesupporter to change the settings of various devices provided in theimaging studio. For example, the supporter computer can change thesetting of a scanning interval by the base station, the setting of atracking sensor, and various settings of various other devices.

The face motion data and the body motion data generated by the motiondata management units 21 a 1 and 21 b 1 are collectively referred to as“motion data”. The motion data management unit 21 a 1 outputs thegenerated motion data to the display control unit 21 a 2. In a viewingmode, the display control unit 21 a 2 performs rendering based on themotion data generated by the motion data management unit 21 a 1, voicedata related to the voice acquired from the microphone 25 a, the modeldata 26 a 1, the object data 26 a 2, and other data if necessary andgenerates moving image data including the animation of the characterobject of the distribution user Ua. The data used to generate the movingimage data including the animation of the character object of thedistribution user Ua is referred to as “animation configuration data”and is referred to as “animation configuration data of the distributionuser Ua” in a case in which it is necessary to distinguish whichdistribution user's character object is included. The animationconfiguration data of the distribution user Ua can include, for example,the motion data of the distribution user Ua and the model data 26 a 1and the object data 26 a 2 of the distribution user Ua. The displaycontrol unit 21 b 2 performs rendering in the same manner as the displaycontrol unit 21 a 2 based on the animation configuration data of thedistribution user Ub. The description of the display control unit 21 a 2is also applied to the display control unit 21 b 2 as long as there isno contradiction.

The rendering means a drawing process including perspective projection,hidden surface removal (rasterization), shading, texture mapping, andother known processes. The display control unit 21 a 2 outputs thegenerated moving image data to the display 23 a and a speaker (notillustrated). The animation of the character object of the distributionuser Ua is generated by applying the motion data to the model data 26 a1. The display control unit 21 a 2 combines or superimposes thecharacter object of the distribution user Ua with or on otherinformation to generate moving image data and outputs the generatedmoving image data to the display 23 a. The information combined with orsuperimposed on the animation may include a message posted by theviewing user, a notification transmitted from the server 60, a graphicaluser interface (GUI) part such as an operation button, and otherinformation.

In a case in which the distribution user Ua co-stars with another user,the display control unit 21 a 2 acquires the animation configurationdata, which is necessary to generate the character object of theco-starring partner, from the distribution user device of thedistribution user that is the co-starring partner through the server 60and performs rendering based on the acquired animation configurationdata of the co-starring partner and the animation configuration data ofthe distribution user Ua to generate co-starring moving image dataincluding the character object of the distribution user Ua and thecharacter object of the co-starring partner. The generated co-starringmoving image data is output to the display 23 a.

The display control unit 21 a 2 can transmit a portion or all of theanimation configuration data of the distribution user Ua to the server60 in order to distribute the moving image of the distribution user Ua.

The co-starring application unit 21 a 3 transmits a co-starringapplication for co-starring with another distribution user to the server60 based on the operation of the distribution user Ua on thedistribution user device 20 a. Similarly, the co-starring applicationunit 21 b 3 transmits a co-starring application for co-starring withanother distribution user to the server 60 based on the operation of thedistribution user Ub on the distribution user device 20 b. Thedescription of the co-starring application unit 21 a 3 is also appliedto the co-starring application unit 21 b 3 as long as there is nocontradiction. The co-starring application transmitted from thedistribution user device 20 a or 20 b may be the first co-starringapplication that does not designate the co-starring partner or may bethe second co-starring application that designates the co-starringpartner.

The first co-starring application is a request for co-starring with anyof the first co-starrable users, for which the registration flag hasbeen set to “on”, among the distribution users that are distributing themoving images in the moving image distribution system 1, withoutdesignating the co-starring partner. The first co-starring applicationmay include the user ID of the user that transmits the first co-starringapplication. The first co-starring application may not includeinformation for designating, identifying, or specifying the co-starringpartner. For example, in a case in which the distribution user Uatransmits the first co-starring application from the distribution userdevice 20 a, the first co-starring application includes the user ID foridentifying the distribution user Ua, but does not include informationfor designating the co-starring partner.

For example, the first co-starring application may be transmitted fromthe distribution user device 20 a to the server 60 by the operation ofthe user on the switch 41 c (for example, a slide operation to theright) in the setting window 41 illustrated in FIG. 5. The firstco-starring application may be transmitted to the server 60 by methodsother than the method of operating the switch 41 c. For example, thefirst co-starring application may be transmitted from the distributionuser device 20 a to the server 60 by the operation of an operationbutton that is displayed on the home screen, an operation button that isdisplayed so as to be superimposed on the moving image beingdistributed, or an operation button other than these operation buttons.As described above, the first co-starring application can be transmittedfrom the distribution user device to the server 60 while thedistribution user is viewing the moving image being distributed or whilethe distribution user does not view the moving image. The firstco-starring application may be transmitted to the server 60 not onlyfrom the distribution user device 20 a but also from the distributionuser device 20 b and other distribution user devices.

The second co-starring application is a request to apply for co-starringwith a specific co-starring partner. Therefore, the second co-starringapplication includes a user ID for identifying the co-starring partner.The second co-starring application differs from the first co-starringapplication which does not include the identification information foridentifying the co-star partner in that it includes the identificationinformation for identifying the co-starring partner. The secondco-starring application may be transmitted from the distribution userdevice 20 a to the server 60 in response to the selection of aco-starring application button 36 displayed while the distribution useris viewing the moving image being distributed, which will be describedbelow.

Next, the functions implemented by the computer processor 61 will bedescribed in more detail. Similarly, the computer processor 61 executesthe computer-readable commands included in the distribution program tofunction as a distribution management unit 61 a, a user registrationunit 61 b, a first co-starring application processing unit 61 c, and asecond co-starring application processing unit 61 d.

The distribution management unit 61 a stores various kinds of datareceived from the viewing user device 10 or the distribution user device20 in the storage 63 or other storages. The distribution management unit61 a acquires the data requested from the viewing user device 10 or thedistribution user device 20 from the storage 63 or other storages andtransmits the acquired data to the viewing user device 10 or thedistribution user device 20 which is a request source. For example, thedistribution management unit 61 a transmits a list of the moving images,which are being distributed, to the viewing user device 10 or thedistribution user device 20 which is the request source in response tothe request from the viewing user device 10 or the distribution userdevice 20. When receiving a request to view the moving image selectedfrom the list, which includes the identification information on themoving image, from the viewing user device 10 or the distribution userdevice 20, the distribution management unit 61 a transmits the animationconfiguration data related to the moving image specified by theidentification information to the viewing user device 10 or thedistribution user device 20 which is the request source. The viewinguser device 10 or the distribution user device 20 that has received theanimation configuration data can perform rendering based on the receivedanimation configuration data to generate the moving image data of themoving image corresponding to the viewing request and can output themoving image data to the display or the speaker. As described above, thedistribution management unit 61 a transmits the animation configurationdata of the moving image corresponding to the viewing request to theviewing user device 10 or the distribution user device 20 to distributethe moving image.

In a case in which the distribution management unit 61 a receives aposted message from the viewing user device 10 or the distribution userdevice 20 for the moving image being distributed, it transmits thereceived posted message to the distribution user device of thedistribution user that is distributing the moving image, and the viewinguser device 10 and the distribution user device 20 through which themoving image is being viewed. The posted message may include text dataindicating the content of the message, the user ID of the user thatposts the message, the posting date and time, and information other thanthose. The viewing user device 10 or the distribution user device 20that has received the posted message can display the received postedmessage or the poster that has posted the message.

The distribution management unit 61 a can transmit a system notificationrelated to the distribution or viewing of the moving image to theviewing user device 10 or the distribution user device 20. For example,when the user A starts to view the moving image, the distributionmanagement unit 61 a transmits a notification message “The user A hasentered the room” to the distribution user device of the distributionuser that is distributing the moving image, and the viewing user device10 and the distribution user device 20 through which the moving image isbeing viewed. The viewing user device 10 or the distribution user device20 that has received the notification message can display the receivednotification message.

In a case in which the host user and the guest user co-star, thedistribution management unit 61 a transmits the animation configurationdata of the host user to the distribution user device 20 of the guestuser and transmits the animation configuration data of the guest user tothe distribution user device 20 of the host user. Each of thedistribution user devices 20 of the guest user and the host userperforms rendering based on the animation configuration data of theco-starring partner received from the distribution management unit 61 ato generate moving image data including the animation of the characterobject of the co-starring partner. Therefore, the distribution userdevice 20 of each of the host user and the guest user that areco-starring can generate moving image data including the animation ofthe character object of the distribution user and the animation of thecharacter object of the co-starring partner. Further, when the server 60receives a viewing request to view a co-starring moving image, in whichthe host user and the guest user co-star, from the viewing user device10 or the distribution user device, the distribution management unit 61a transmits the animation configuration data of the host user and theanimation configuration data of the guest user to the viewing userdevice 10 or the distribution user device which is a transmission sourceof the viewing request. The viewing user device 10 or the distributionuser device that has received the animation configuration data of thehost user and the animation configuration data of the guest user canperform rendering based on the animation configuration data of the hostuser and the animation configuration data of the guest user to generatemoving image data including the character object of the host user andthe character object of the guest user. Therefore, the user that hasrequested the viewing of the co-starring moving image can view theco-starring moving image through the viewing user device 10 or thedistribution user device.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, when receiving aregistration request for registration as the first co-starrable userfrom the distribution user device of any user, the user registrationunit 61 b registers the user as the first co-starrable user. Asdescribed above, the registration request may be transmitted to theserver 60 by operating the switch 41 a in the distribution user device.The registration request transmitted from the distribution user mayinclude a user ID for identifying the distribution user. When receivingthe registration request from the distribution user device of a certainuser, the user registration unit 61 b can set the registration flag,which is associated with the user ID included in the registrationrequest in the user information 63 b, to “1”. When the registration flagcorresponding to the user ID is set to “1”, the user identified by theuser ID becomes the first co-starrable user.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, in a case in which thefirst co-starring application processing unit 61 c receives the firstco-starring application from the distribution user device of any user(co-starring application user) in the moving image distribution system1, it selects the first co-starring user among the first co-starrableusers. In response to the selection of the first co-starring user basedon the first co-starring application from the co-starring applicationuser, the distribution of the co-starring moving image in which theco-starring application user and the first co-starring user co-star isstarted. Specifically, the user ID of the co-starring application useris stored in the co-starring management information 63 c in associationwith the moving image ID of the moving image distributed by the firstco-starring user. Therefore, it is possible to determine that theco-starring application user and the first co-starring user areco-starring with reference to the co-starring management information 63c. When the server 60 receives a viewing request including the movingimage ID of the co-starring moving image in which the co-starringapplication user and the first co-starring user co-star, thedistribution management unit 61 a acquires the user ID of the host userand the user ID of the guest user associated with the moving image IDincluded in the viewing request, acquires the animation configurationdata of each of the host user and the guest user that are co-starringbased on the user IDs, and transmits the acquired animationconfiguration data of the host user and the acquired animationconfiguration data of the guest user to the viewing user device 10 orthe distribution user device that is a transmission source of theviewing request. This configuration enables the distribution managementunit 61 a to distribute the co-starring moving image to the viewing userdevice 10 or the distribution user device.

In a case in which the first co-starring application processing unit 61c receives the first co-starring application, for example, the firstco-starring application processing unit 61 c can specify the user, forwhich the registration flag is set to “1”, as the first co-starrableuser based on the user information 63 b and select the first co-starringuser, that is the co-starring partner of the co-starring applicationuser that has transmitted the first co-starring application, from thespecified first co-starrable users. The first co-starring applicationprocessing unit 61 c can select the first co-starring user from thefirst co-starrable users according to various algorithms. In oneembodiment, the first co-starring application processing unit 61 c canrandomly select one first co-starring user from the first co-starrableusers. In another embodiment, the first co-starring applicationprocessing unit 61 c specifies the number of co-stars in the movingimage distributed by each of the first co-starrable users with referenceto the co-starring management information 63 c and selects the firstco-starring user based on the specified number of co-stars. For example,the first co-starring application processing unit 61 c may select, asthe first co-starring user, a user that is co-starring with the smallestnumber of users among the first co-starrable users. In a case in whichthere are a plurality of first co-starrable users that have the smallestnumber of co-stars (for example, first co-starrable users that are notco-starring with anyone and the number of co-stars is set to “0”), thefirst co-starring application processing unit 61 c may randomly selectthe first co-starring user from the plurality of first co-starrableusers that have the smallest number of co-stars. In a case in which theuser ID of the first co-starrable user is not recorded as thedistribution user identification information in the co-starringmanagement information 63 c, the first co-starring user does notdistribute the moving image. Therefore, in the selection of the firstco-starring user, the number of co-stars in the first co-starrable userscan be set to “0”.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first co-starring applicationprocessing unit 61 c can select the first co-starring user based on theco-starring frame which is the difference between the upper limit on thenumber of co-stars for each of the first co-starrable users and thenumber of co-stars that are actually co-starring. For example, in a casein which the upper limit on the number of co-stars for a certain firstco-starrable user is “5” and the number of users that are co-staring is“1” (that is, in a case where co-starring with only one user),co-starring frames of the first co-starrable users are “4”. In oneembodiment of the invention, the difference between the upper limit onthe number of co-stars for each of the first co-starrable users and thenumber of co-stars that are actually co-starring may be calculated asthe co-starring frame, and a user having the largest number ofco-starring frames among the first co-starrable users may be selected asthe first co-starring user. As described above, among the firstco-starrable users, a user that co-stars with the smallest number ofusers or a user having the largest number of co-starring frames isselected as the first co-starring user, which makes it easy to select,as the first co-starring user, a user that relatively inactivelyco-stars with other users among the first co-starrable users.

In another embodiment of the invention, the user having the smallestnumber of co-starring frames among the first co-starrable users(however, the co-starring frame is not “0”) may be selected as the firstco-starring user. In this case, since a user that has already co-starredwith another user is easily selected as the first co-starring user, itis possible to make the co-starring application user co-star with thedistribution user that has already actively co-starred with anotherdistribution user.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first co-starring applicationprocessing unit 61 c selects the first co-starring user from the firstco-starrable users based on the user attribute information about each ofthe co-starring application user and the first co-starrable users. Asdescribed above, the user information 63 b may include user attributeinformation indicating various attributes of each user. For example, thefirst co-starring application processing unit 61 c may specify the userattribute information about the co-starring application user based onthe user ID of the co-starring application user included in the firstco-starring application, calculate a score indicating the degree ofmatching between the user attribute information about the co-starringapplication user and the user attribute information about each of thefirst co-starrable users based on a predetermined algorithm, and selecta user having the highest score among the first co-starrable users asthe first co-starring user. When the score indicating the degree ofmatching is calculated, individual attribute data (for example, a placeof residence, age, sex, and a hobby) included in the user attributeinformation may be weighted. In this case, for example, among the firstco-starrable users, a user whose place of residence is close to that ofthe co-starring application user, a user in an age group that overlapswith the age group of the co-starring application user, or a user thathas the same hobby as the co-starring application user is easilyselected as the first co-starring user. This configuration makes itpossible to select, as the first co-starring user, a user having a highdegree of matching of the attribute data included in the user attributeinformation from among the first co-starrable users. Therefore, evenwhen a co-starring moving image is generated based on the firstco-starring application that does not specify the co-starring partner,it is easy to find a common topic between the users that co-star. As aresult, it is possible to promote communication in the co-starringmoving image which is started based on the first co-starringapplication.

In one embodiment of the invention, in a case in which the secondco-starring application processing unit 61 d receives the secondco-starring application from the co-starring application user, itdetermines whether or not to permit the second co-starring applicationof the co-starring application user. As described above, the secondco-starring application may be transmitted to the server 60 by selectingthe co-starring application button 36 while the distributed moving imageis being viewed, and the server 60 may receive the transmitted secondco-starring application. For example, when the second co-starringapplication for co-starring with the distribution user Ub is receivedfrom the distribution user Ua, the second co-starring applicationprocessing unit 61 d determines whether or not the distribution user Uaand the distribution user Ub can co-star. For example, the secondco-starring application processing unit 61 d may transmit a messageinquiring whether or not to permit the co-starring application from thedistribution user Ua to the distribution user device 20 b of thedistribution user Ub and determine whether or not to co-starring ispossible according to a response from the distribution user device 20 b.

Next, the display of an image corresponding to the moving imagedistributed in the moving image distribution system 1 will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. In FIGS. 6 to 8, it is assumed that theviewing user of the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user Uaof the distribution user device 20 a select the viewing of the movingimage being distributed by the distribution user Ub from the movingimage list being distributed and transmit a request to view the movingimage to the server 60, the server 60 transmits the animationconfiguration data of the distribution user Ub to the viewing userdevice 10 and the distribution user device 20 a in response to theviewing request, and the viewing user device 10 and the distributionuser device 20 a perform rendering based on the animation configurationdata of the distribution user Ub received from the server 60. Theanimation configuration data of the distribution user Ub may includemotion data generated by the motion data management unit 21 b 1 andvoice data generated based on the voice detected by the microphone 25 bin the distribution user device 20 b of the distribution user Ub. Inaddition, it is assumed that the distribution user device 20 b performsrendering based on the animation configuration data of the distributionuser Ub acquired from the server 60 or the animation configuration datagenerated by the device. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a moving imagedisplayed on the viewing user device 10, FIG. 7 illustrates an exampleof a moving image displayed on the distribution user device 20 a, andFIG. 8 illustrates an example of a moving image displayed on thedistribution user device 20 b.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the image corresponding to the moving imagedata generated by performing rendering based on the animationconfiguration data of the distribution user Ub received from the server60 is displayed on the display of the viewing user device 10. The imagedisplayed on the viewing user device 10 includes the character object 31of the distribution user Ub generated by the rendering, a gift button32, an evaluation button 33, a comment button 34, and a comment displayregion 35.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, an image 30 corresponding to the moving imagedata generated by performing rendering based on the animationconfiguration data of the distribution user Ub received from the server60 is displayed on the display 23 a of the distribution user device 20a. The image 30 includes the character object 31 of the distributionuser Ub, the gift button 32, the evaluation button 33, the commentbutton 34, and the comment display region 35, similarly to the movingimage displayed on the viewing user device 10. In addition to this, theimage 30 includes a co-starring application button 36 for applying forco-starring with the distribution user Ub in the moving imagedistributed by the distribution user Ub. When the co-starringapplication button 36 is operated, the second co-starring application istransmitted to the server 60. For example, the distribution user device20 a can execute application software including the moving imageapplication program to display the distributed image 30. In oneembodiment of the invention, the co-starring application button 36 fortransmitting the second co-starring application for co-starring with thedistribution user Ub may be displayed on the distribution user deviceonly in a case in which the moving image of the distribution user Ub isbeing viewed. In one embodiment of the invention, the co-starringapplication button 36 may be displayed on the image 30 in thedistribution user device 20 a only in a case in which the distributionuser Ub is registered as the second co-starrable user and may not bedisplayed on the distribution user device 20 a in a case in which thedistribution user Ub is not registered as the second co-starrable user.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the moving image displayed on the viewing userdevice 10 does not include the co-starring application button 36. Forexample, in a case in which application software including thedistribution program is not downloaded or installed in the viewing userdevice 10 or in a case in which the application software including thedistribution program is not started in the viewing user device 10, theco-starring application button 36 is not displayed on the viewing userdevice 10. In a case in which the application software including themoving image application program is downloaded or installed in theviewing user device 10 or in a case in which the application softwareincluding the moving image application program is started in the viewinguser device 10, the co-starring application button 36 may be displayedon the viewing user device 10.

Since the character object 31 is generated by applying the motion dataof the distribution user Ub to the model data 63 a, the facialexpression or movement of the character object 31 changes insynchronization with the facial expression or movement of thedistribution user Ub.

The gift button 32 is displayed on the image 30 so as to be selectableby operating the viewing user device 10. For example, the gift button 32can be selected by a tapping operation on a region in which the giftbutton 32 is displayed in the touch panel of the viewing user device 10.In one embodiment, when the gift button 32 is selected, a window forselecting a gift to be given to the distribution user (here, thedistribution user Ub) that is distributing the moving image being viewedis displayed on the image 30. The viewing user can purchase a gift to begiven from the gifts displayed in the window. In another embodiment, awindow including a list of purchased gifts is displayed on the image 30in response to the selection of the gift button 32. In this case, theviewing user can select a gift to be given from the gifts displayed inthe window. When the gift button 32 is selected on the viewing userdevice 10, gifting information may be transmitted to the server 60. Thegifting information may include gift identification information (giftID) for identifying the gift to be given. As described above, theviewing user that is viewing the moving image can select the gift button32 to provide (give) a desired gift to the distribution user that isdistributing the moving image.

The evaluation button 33 is displayed on the image 30 so as to beselectable by the viewing user that uses the viewing user device 10. Forexample, the evaluation button 33 can be selected by a tapping operationon a region in which the evaluation button 33 is displayed in the touchpanel of the viewing user device 10. When the evaluation button 33 isselected by the viewing user that is viewing the moving image,evaluation information indicating that the distribution user thatdistributes the moving image (the distribution user Ub in the exampleillustrated in the drawings) has been positively evaluated or thedistributed moving image has been positively evaluated may betransmitted to the server 60.

The comment button 34 is displayed on the image 30 so as to beselectable by the user. When the comment button 34 is selected by, forexample, a tapping operation, a comment input window for inputtingcomments is displayed on the image 30. The viewing user can inputcomments through an input mechanism of the viewing user device 10 or thedistribution user device 20 a. The input comment is transmitted from theviewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 a to theserver 60. The server 60 receives comments from the viewing user device10, the distribution user device 20 a, and other user devices anddisplays the comments in a comment display region 35 of the movingimage. Comments posted by each user are displayed, for example, in timeseries in the comment display region 35. The comment display region 35occupies a portion of the image 30. There is an upper limit to thenumber of comments that can be displayed in the comment display region35. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, up to three comments can bedisplayed in the comment display region 35. When comments of whichnumber is greater than the upper limit set in the comment display region35 are posted, the comments are sequentially deleted from the commentdisplay region 35 in chronological order of the posting time. Therefore,as the frequency of the received comments becomes higher, the displaytime of each comment in the comment display region 35 becomes shorter.In a case in which the comments of which number is greater than theupper limit set in the comment display region 35 are posted, therecently posted comments may be displayed in the comment display region35, and the old posted comments that are not displayed in the commentdisplay region 35 may be displayed in the comment display region 35 inresponse to the swipe of the comment display region 35.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, an image 40 corresponding to the moving imagedata generated by performing rendering based on the animationconfiguration data of the distribution user Ub is displayed on thedisplay 23 b of the distribution user device 20 b. The image 40 includesthe character object 31 corresponding to the distribution user Ub andthe comment display region 35. The image 40 displayed on thedistribution user device 20 b includes the same background image,character object image, and comments as the moving image and the image30. On the other hand, the image 40 differs from the image 30 in that itdoes not include the gift button 32, the evaluation button 33, thecomment button 34, and the co-starring application button 36.

Next, the display of an image corresponding to the co-starring movingimage distributed in the moving image distribution system 1 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. FIG. 9 illustrates an exampleof a co-starring moving image displayed on the viewing user device 10.FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a co-starring moving image displayedon the distribution user device 20 c of the distribution user Uc. FIG.11 illustrates an example of a co-starring moving image displayed on thedistribution user device 20 a. FIG. 12 illustrates an example of aco-starring moving image displayed on the distribution user device 20 b.In FIGS. 9 to 12, it is assumed that the distribution user Ub isselected as the first co-starring user based on the first co-starringapplication from the distribution user device 20 c used by thedistribution user Uc and a co-starring moving image including acharacter object 131 of the distribution user Uc and the characterobject 31 of the distribution user Ub is distributed. That is, in theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 12, the distribution user Uc is theco-starring application user and the guest user. In addition, thedistribution user Ub is the host user. Further, it is assumed that aviewing request for the viewing of the co-starring moving image istransmitted from the viewing user device 10 and the distribution userdevice 20 a and the co-starring moving image is distributed to theviewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 a.

As illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12, the image corresponding tothe moving image data generated by performing rendering based on theanimation configuration data of the distribution user Uc and thedistribution user Ub received from the server 60 is displayed on thedisplays of the viewing user device 10, the distribution user device 20c, the distribution user device 20 a, and the distribution user device20 b. The co-starring moving image displayed on the viewing user device10 includes the character object 131 of the distribution user Uc inaddition to the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub. Thecharacter object 131 of the co-starring application user is generatedbased on the motion data included in the animation configuration data ofthe distribution user Uc. The image displayed on the viewing user device10 includes the gift button 32, the evaluation button 33, the commentbutton 34, and the comment display region 35, similarly to the movingimage before the start of co-starring illustrated in FIG. 6. Since thedistribution user Uc has already cos-starred with the distribution userUb, the co-starring application button 36 is not displayed on thedistribution user device 20 c of the distribution user Uc. The imagedisplayed on the distribution user device 20 c illustrated in FIG. 10does not include the gift button 32, the evaluation button 33, and thecomment button 34 and includes the comment display region 35, similarlyto the image displayed on the distribution user device 20 b illustratedin FIG. 12.

The co-starring moving image displayed on the distribution user device20 a includes the gift button 32, the evaluation button 33, the commentbutton 34, the comment display region 35, and the co-starringapplication button 36 similarly to the image before the start ofco-starring illustrated in FIG. 7. The distribution user Ua can selectthe co-starring application button 36 even when the co-starring movingimage is being played back. When the co-starring application button 36is selected while the co-starring moving image in which the distributionuser Ub is the host user is being played back, the second co-starringapplication for co-starring with the distribution user Ub is transmittedfrom the distribution user device 20 a to the server 60. When the server60 receives the second co-starring application from the distributionuser device 20 a, the second co-starring application processing unit 61d determines whether or not to permit the co-starring of thedistribution user Ua with the distribution user Ub based on the secondco-starring application. In a case in which the co-starring of thedistribution user Ua with the distribution user Ub is permitted, thecharacter object of the distribution user Ua is also displayed in theco-starring moving image in which the distribution user Uc and thedistribution user Ub are co-starring. In this case, in the co-starringmoving image illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 12, the character object (notillustrated) of the distribution user Ua is displayed in addition to thecharacter object 31 of the distribution user Ub and the character object131 of the distribution user Uc.

The co-starring moving image displayed on the distribution user device20 b includes the comment display region 35, similarly to the imagebefore the start of co-starring illustrated in FIG. 8. Further, aco-starring end button 45 for ending the co-starring is displayed in theco-starring moving image. The co-starring end button 45 is displayed onthe distribution user device 20 b of the distribution user Ub that isthe host user receiving the co-starring application, but is notdisplayed on the distribution user device 20 a of the distribution userUa that does not co-star and the distribution user device 20 c of thedistribution user Uc that is the guest user. When the co-starring endbutton 45 is selected on the distribution user device 20 b of thedistribution user Ub, a process for ending the co-starring of thedistribution user Uc and the distribution user Ub is performed. Forexample, a co-starring end instruction is transmitted from thedistribution user device 20 b to the server 60 in response to theselection of the co-starring end button 45. When the server 60 receivesthe co-starring end instruction, the distribution management unit 61 aends the transmission of the animation configuration data of thedistribution user Uc. Then, the character object 131 of the distributionuser Uc is not displayed in the distributed moving image.

As illustrated in the drawings, the co-starring moving image is ahorizontally long image. The moving image distribution system 1distributes the co-starring moving image as a horizontally long movingimage. Therefore, the distributed co-starring moving image is displayedas a horizontally long image on the viewing user device 10. In oneembodiment, even when the original moving image (image) is verticallylong as illustrated in FIG. 6, the co-starring moving image is convertedinto a horizontally long moving image and is then distributed. Since theco-starring moving image includes the character objects of twodistribution users, the conversion into the horizontally long imagemakes it easy to display the character objects of the two users withoutoverlapping each other. For example, in the co-starring moving image,the left half may be a region that is allocated to the character objectof the original distribution user and the right half may be a regionthat is allocated to the character object of the co-starring applicationuser from the viewpoint of the viewing user. The allocation of theregions to each distribution user may be arbitrarily determined suchthat the character objects do not overlap with each other. In theembodiment illustrated, the co-starring moving image is illustrated asthe horizontally long image. However, the co-starring moving image maybe a vertically long image.

Next, a co-starring moving image distribution process in one embodimentwill be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchartillustrating the flow of the co-starring moving image distributionprocess in one embodiment. In the co-starring moving image distributionprocess described with reference to FIG. 13, it is assumed that thedistribution user Ub is selected as the first co-starring user based onthe first co-starring application from the distribution user Uc.

At the start time of the co-starring moving image distribution processillustrated in FIG. 13, a large number of distribution users includingthe distribution user Ub are distributing the moving images includingtheir own character objects. In Step S11, it is determined whether ornot the first co-starring application has been made by any of thedistribution users of the moving image distribution system 1. Forexample, the distribution user Uc makes the first co-starringapplication. In a case in which the distribution user Uc has made thefirst co-starring application, the process proceeds to Step S12.

In Step S12, the first co-starring user is selected from the firstco-starrable users based on the first co-starring application from thedistribution user Uc. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, thedistribution user Ub is selected as the first co-starring user. Then,the co-starring of the distribution user Ub (host user) and thedistribution user Uc (guest user) is started. In Step S12, thedistribution user Ub is selected as the first co-starring user. Forexample, the first co-starring application processing unit 61 c selectsthe first co-starring user.

Since the distribution user Ub is selected as the first co-starring userbased on the first co-starring application from the distribution user Ucin Step S12, a co-starring moving image in which the distribution userUb and the distribution user Uc co-star is distributed in Step S13.Specifically, in addition to the animation configuration data of thedistribution user Ub, the animation configuration data of thedistribution user Uc is transmitted to the viewing user device 10 andthe distribution user device through which the moving image of thedistribution user Ub is being viewed. The viewing user device 10 and thedistribution user device that have received the animation configurationdata can perform rendering based on the received animation configurationdata to display a moving image including the character objects of thedistribution user Ub and the distribution user Uc, for example, asillustrated in FIGS. 9 to 12.

Next, a co-starring moving image distribution process based on thesecond co-starring application will be described with reference to FIG.14. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the co-starringmoving image distribution process in one embodiment. In the co-starringmoving image distribution process described with reference to FIG. 14,it is assumed that the distribution user Ua that is viewing the movingimage including the character object of the distribution user Ub makes aco-starring application to the distribution user Ub. The co-starringmoving image distribution process illustrated in FIG. 14 may beperformed in parallel to the moving image distribution processillustrated in FIG. 13.

First, it is determined in Step S21 whether or not the secondco-starring application has been made by a user other than thedistribution user Ub while the moving image including the characterobject of the distribution user Ub is being distributed. For example,the distribution user Ua makes the second co-starring application. In acase in which the distribution user Ua has made the second co-starringapplication, the process proceeds to Step S22.

In Step S22, it is determined whether or not to permit the secondco-starring application from the distribution user Ua. For example, theco-starring of the distribution user Ua with the distribution user Ub ispermitted in a case in which the distribution user Ub is notified thatthe distribution user Ua has made the co-starring application andpermits co-starring with the distribution user Ua as a response to thenotification. For example, the second co-starring application processingunit 61 d determines whether or not to permit the co-starringapplication.

In a case in which it is determined in Step S22 that the co-starringapplication is permitted, the co-starring of the distribution user Ub(host user) and the distribution user Ua (guest user) is started, andthe process proceeds to Step S23. In Step S23, the co-starring movingimage in which the distribution user Ub and the distribution user Uaco-star is distributed. Specifically, in addition to the animationconfiguration data of the distribution user Ub, the animationconfiguration data of the distribution user Ua is transmitted to theviewing user device 10 and the distribution user device that are viewingthe moving image of the distribution user Ub. The viewing user device 10and the distribution user device that have received the animationconfiguration data can perform rendering based on the received animationconfiguration data to display a moving image including the characterobjects of the distribution user Ub and the distribution user Ua.

The operation and effect of the above-described embodiments will bedescribed. In the one or more embodiments, a user that wants to co-starwith another distribution user can make the first co-starringapplication, without specifying the co-starring partner, to co-star withthe first co-starring user selected based on the first co-starringapplication. As described above, since it is possible to apply forco-starring without specifying the co-starring partner, the time andeffort to search for the co-starring partner are reduced. Therefore, theco-starring of the users in the moving image is promoted.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, the distributionuser that distributes the moving image can be registered as the firstco-starrable user to receive the first co-starring application.Therefore, it is possible to provide the distribution user with a meansfor increasing the chance of co-starring with other users. On the otherhand, when the distribution user is not registered as the firstco-starrable user, it is possible to avoid the unexpected participationof the co-starring application user in his/her own moving image by thefirst co-starring application.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, a user can co-starwith the first co-starring user only by making the first co-starringapplication, without getting the permission of the co-starring partner.Therefore, it is possible to co-star with other distribution users witha simpler process, as compared with the co-starring start processaccording to the related art in which co-starring can be performed onlyin a case in which the co-starring application is permitted. It can beconsidered that, since the first co-starring user is selected from thefirst co-starrable users, co-starring with the co-starring applicationuser is permitted based on the registration as the first co-starrableuser in a case in which the first co-starring application is received.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, even in a case inwhich a user does not view the moving image of the distribution userthat is the co-starring partner, the user can make the first co-starringapplication. For example, when viewing a list of moving images beingdistributed, a user can open the setting window 41 and operate theswitch 41 c included in the setting window to make the first co-starringapplication. As described above, even when a user does not view themoving image of the distribution user that is the co-starring partner,the user can co-star with the distribution user. Therefore, it ispossible to reduce the number of processes until the start ofco-starring, as compared to the co-starring start process in which auser can only participate in the moving image that the user is viewing.As a result, the co-starring of users in the moving image is promoted.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, the upper limit ofthe number of users that can co-star with the distribution user is set.Therefore, it is possible to prevent an adverse effect caused by anexcessive increase in the number of users that co-star in one movingimage. For example, it is possible to prevent an excessive load on aprocess for participating in or leaving the co-starring moving image ora process for generating the co-starring moving image.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, it is possible toselect, as the first co-starring user, a user that co-stars with thesmallest number of users among the first co-starrable users based on thefirst co-starring application. This makes it easier to select, as thefirst co-starring user, a distribution user that co-stars with a smallnumber of users or does not co-star with any user. Therefore, it ispossible to preferentially provide an opportunity for co-starring withother users to the distribution user that does not actively co-star withother distribution users. Further, in one or more of the embodiments ofthe invention, it is possible to select, as the first co-starring user,a distribution user that can co-star with a large number of users (has alarge number of co-starring frames) which is represented by thedifference between the upper limit of the number of users that canco-star and the number of users that are actually co-starring.Therefore, it is possible to preferentially provide an opportunity forco-starring with other users to a distribution user that has a largenumber of co-starring frames.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, the firstco-starring user may be selected from the first co-starrable users basedon an algorithm that makes it easy to select, as the first co-starringuser, a distribution user that can co-star with a small number of users(has a small number of co-starring frames). In this case, since a userthat has already co-starred with other distribution users is easilyselected as the first co-starring user, it is possible to make theco-starring application user participate in the moving image of thedistribution user that has experience of co-starring with otherdistribution users.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, it is possible toselect the first co-starring user from the first co-starrable usersbased on the user attribute information about the co-starringapplication user and the user attribute information of the firstco-starrable users. For example, this makes it possible to select, asthe first co-starring user, a user having a high degree of matching ofthe user attribute information with the co-starring application userfrom among the first co-starrable users. Therefore, even when aco-starring moving image is generated based on the first co-starringapplication that does not specify the co-starring partner, it is easy tofind a common topic between the users that co-star.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, a co-starringapplicant can make the second co-starring application that specifies theco-starring partner and can co-star with the co-starring partnerspecified in the second co-starring application in a case in which theco-starring is permitted based on the second co-starring application. Itis assumed that the distribution user that does not want to co-star withthe co-starring partner that is not permitted is not registered as thefirst co-starrable user. Therefore, when the moving image distributionsystem 1 provides only the co-starring function based on the firstco-starring application that does not specify the co-starring partner,it is difficult to provide an opportunity for co-starring to thedistribution user that does not want to co-star with the co-starringpartner that is not permitted. The provision of the function ofco-starring with the permitted co-starring partner makes it possible toprovide an opportunity for co-starring with other users even to thedistribution user that does not want to co-star with the co-starringpartner that is not permitted.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, since the secondco-starring application is made to the distribution user that isdistributing the moving image being viewed, it is possible to receivethe second co-starring application only from the co-starring applicationuser that is interested in the moving image being distributed.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, a list of thedistribution users that are distributing the moving images is displayed,and the first co-starrable user is displayed so as to be distinguishablefrom other distribution users in the list. For example, in the list ofthe moving images or the moving image distribution users displayed as“Recommended”, a message indicating that co-starring is possible basedon the first co-starring application, such as “co-starring frame 2” isdisplayed in association with an icon corresponding to the firstco-starrable user (or the moving image distributed by the firstco-starrable user). Therefore, the co-starring application user cancheck the distribution user that can be the co-starring partner beforemaking the first co-starring application.

In one or more of the embodiments of the invention, a user that hasstarted a game in which a plurality of distribution users participate(for example, a party game in which character objects participate) canbe registered as the first co-starrable user. This makes it easy toselect the user that has started the game as the first co-starring userbased on the first co-starring application. Since the user that hasstarted the game has a common topic of the game, it is possible tosmoothly perform collaboration even when the users that do not haveprior knowledge about each other co-star based on the first co-starringapplication.

In the processing procedures described in the specification,particularly, in the processing procedures described using theflowcharts, some of the steps constituting the processing procedures canbe omitted, steps that are not specified as the steps constituting theprocessing procedures can be added, or the order of the steps can bechanged. The processing procedures in which the steps have been omittedand added and the order of the steps has been changed are also includedin the scope of the invention as long as they do not deviate from thegist of the invention.

At least some of the functions implemented by the computer processor 61may be implemented by a computer processor other than the computerprocessor 61 in the moving image distribution system 1. At least some ofthe functions implemented by the computer processor 61 may beimplemented by, for example, the computer processor 21 of thedistribution user device 20 or the computer processor of the viewinguser device 10.

In the above-described embodiments, the viewing user device 10 and thedistribution user device for viewing the moving image perform renderingbased on the animation configuration data to generate the moving imagedata of the moving image including the character object of thedistribution user. That is, in the above-described embodiments, themoving image including the character object of the distribution user isgenerated by the viewing user device 10 or the distribution user deviceof the user that views the moving image. The rendering for generatingthe moving image may be performed by a device other than the viewinguser device 10 or the distribution user device for viewing the movingimage. For example, the server 60 may perform rendering for generating amoving image corresponding a viewing request and transmit the movingimage data generated by the rendering to the viewing user device 10 orthe distribution user device that has transmitted the viewing request.In this case, the viewing user device 10 and the distribution userdevice that have received the moving image data of the moving image tobe viewed from the server 60 can output the received moving image datato the display or the speaker without performing rendering. Therendering of the moving image to be viewed may be performed by thedistribution user device of the distribution user that distributes themoving image. In this case, the distribution user device of thedistribution user that distributes the moving image performs therendering, and the moving image data generated by the rendering istransmitted to the viewing user device 10 and the distribution userdevice, which have transmitted the request to view the moving image,through the server 60 or directly.

What is claimed is:
 1. A moving image distribution system, comprising:one or more processors; and storage storing computer-readableinstructions, wherein the one or more processors is configured toexecute the instructions to perform operations comprising: registering adistribution user that has made a registration request among a pluralityof distribution users that distribute moving images including characterobjects generated based on their own movements, as a first co-starrableuser, selecting a first co-starring user from among a plurality of firstco-starrable users in response to reception of a first co-starringapplication for co-starring with any of the plurality of firstco-starrable users from a co-starring application user, and distributinga co-starring moving image in which the co-starring application user andthe first co-starring user co-star.
 2. The moving image distributionsystem according to claim 1, wherein the co-starring moving image isdistributed without getting permission of the first co-starring userafter the first co-starring application is received.
 3. The moving imagedistribution system according to claim 1, wherein the first co-starringapplication is received both while the co-starring application user isviewing the moving image of the first co-starring user and while theco-starring application user is not viewing the moving image of thefirst co-starring user.
 4. The moving image distribution systemaccording to claim 1, wherein an upper limit of a number of users ableto co-star is set for each of the plurality of distribution users. 5.The moving image distribution system according to claim 4, wherein anumber of co-starrable users represented by a difference between theupper limit and a number of users that are co-starring is managed foreach of the plurality of distribution users, and the first co-starringuser is selected based on the number of the co-starrable users for eachof the plurality of distribution users.
 6. The moving image distributionsystem according to claim 1, wherein attribute information indicating anattribute of each of the plurality of distribution users is set, and thefirst co-starring user is selected at least based on the attributeinformation about the first co-starrable users.
 7. The moving imagedistribution system according to claim 1, wherein determination is madewhether the co-starring application user and a second co-starring userselected from the plurality of distribution users are able to co-star inresponse to reception of a second co-starring application forco-starring with the second co-starring user selected from among theplurality of distribution users, and in a case in which it is determinedthat the co-starring application user and the second co-starring userare able to co-star, another co-starring moving image in which theco-starring application user and the second co-starring user co-star isgenerated.
 8. The moving image distribution system according to claim 7,wherein the second co-starring application is received only while theco-starring application user is viewing the moving image of the secondco-starring user.
 9. The moving image distribution system according toclaim 7, wherein the second co-starring user is selected from one ormore second co-starrable users that receive the second co-starringapplication among the plurality of distribution users, and a co-starringlist including at least one of at least some of one or more firstco-starrable users and at least some of the second co-starrable usersthat receive the co-starring application among the plurality ofdistribution users is provided to the co-starring application user. 10.The moving image distribution system according to claim 9, wherein alist including at least some of the plurality of distribution users isdisplayed, and in the list, each of the one or more first co-starrableusers is displayed so as to be distinguishable from the distributionuser that is not the first co-starrable user among the plurality ofdistribution users.
 11. The moving image distribution system accordingto claim 1, wherein a user that has started a game in which at leastsome of the plurality of distribution users participate is registered asthe first co-starrable user.
 12. A moving image distribution methodperformed by execution of a computer-readable command by one or morecomputer processors, the moving image distribution method comprising:registering a distribution user that has made a registration requestamong a plurality of distribution users that distribute moving imagesincluding character objects generated based on their own movements, as afirst co-starrable user; selecting a first co-starring user from among aplurality of first co-starrable users in response to reception of afirst co-starring application for co-starring with any of the pluralityof first co-starrable users from a co-starring application user; andgenerating a co-starring moving image in which the co-starringapplication user and the first co-starring user co-star.
 13. Anon-transitory computer-readable moving image distribution program thatcauses one or more computer processors to perform: a step of registeringa distribution user that has made a registration request among aplurality of distribution users that distribute moving images includingcharacter objects generated based on their own movements, as a firstco-starrable user; a step of selecting a first co-starring user fromamong a plurality of first co-starrable users in response to receptionof a first co-starring application for co-starring with any of theplurality of first co-starrable users from a co-starring applicationuser; and a step of generating a co-starring moving image in which theco-starring application user and the first co-starring user co-star.